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Category: physics – Page 29

The Holy Grail of Physics: Superconductivity Without the Cold

Researchers found that fundamental constants determine the upper limit of superconducting temperatures, and luckily, our Universe allows for conditions where this breakthrough might be possible.

The Holy Grail of Physics: Room-Temperature Superconductivity

A new study, published on March 3 in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, suggests that room-temperature superconductivity — long considered the “holy grail” of condensed matter physics — may indeed be possible within the fundamental laws of the universe.

Astrophysicists predict origins of unexpected space objects in solar system and Alpha Centauri

Interstellar material has been discovered in our solar system, but researchers continue to hunt for where it came from and how it got here. A new study led by Western astrophysicists Cole Gregg and Paul Wiegert recommends Alpha Centauri—the next closest solar system to ours—is a great place to start, highlighting how and why it’s a prime target.

The findings were published March 6 in The Planetary Science Journal.

Interstellar objects are astronomical material, like asteroids or comets, not gravitationally bound to a star. They can come from other solar systems and be thrown into interstellar space by collisions or be slingshotted by a planet or star’s gravity.

Tunable asymmetric hysteresis loop: Researchers develop method to control magnetic reversal in Weyl semimetal

Recently, a research team found a new way to control the magnetic reversal in a special material called Co3Sn2S2, a Weyl semimetal. The team was led by Prof. Qu Zhe from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. Liu Enke from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“This discovery could help switch the magnetization of devices that rely on ,” said Prof. Qu, “such as hard drives and spin-based technologies.”

The results were published in Materials Today Physics.

What’s Your Brain’s Role in Creating Space & Time?

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Physics is the business of figuring out the structure of the world. So are our brains. But sometimes physics comes to conclusions that are in direct conflict with concepts fundamental to our minds, such as the realness of space and time. How do we tell who’s correct? Are time and space objective realities or human-invented concepts?

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Mass spectrometry method introduces novel concept for in-cell protein characterization

Proteins in cells are highly flexible and often exist in multiple conformations, each with unique abilities to bind ligands. These conformations are regulated by the organism to control protein function. Currently, most studies on protein structure and activity are conducted using purified proteins in vitro, which cannot fully replicate the complexity of the intracellular environment and may be influenced by the purification process or buffer conditions.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a team led by Prof. Wang Fangjun from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), collaborating with Prof. Huang Guangming from the University of Science and Technology of China of CAS, developed a new method for in-cell characterization of proteins using vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation top-down (UVPD-TDMS), providing an innovative technology for analyzing the heterogeneity of intracellular protein in situ with MS.

Researchers combined in-cell MS with 193-nm UVPD to directly analyze protein structures within cells. This method employed induced electrospray ionization, which ionizes intracellular proteins with minimal structural perturbation.

Researchers discover magnetic equivalent of the Lyddane-Sachs-Teller relation

Materials are known to interact with electromagnetic fields in different ways, which reflect their structures and underlying properties. The Lyddane-Sachs-Teller relation is a physics construct that describes the relationship between a material’s static and dynamic dielectric constant (i.e., values indicating a system’s behavior in the presence or absence of an external electric field, respectively) and the vibrational modes of the material’s crystal lattice (i.e., resonance frequencies).

This construct, first introduced by physicists Lyddanne, Sachs and Teller in 1941, has since been widely used to conduct solid-state physics research and materials science studies. Ultimately, it has helped better explain and delineate the properties of various materials, which were then used to create new electronic devices.

Researchers at Lund University recently extended the Lyddane-Sachs-Teller relation to magnetism, showing that a similar relation links a material’s static permeability (i.e., its non-oscillatory response to a ) to the frequencies at which it exhibits a . Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, opens new exciting possibilities for the study of magnetic materials.

Billion-Light-Year Superstructure Shakes Up Our View of the Universe

Scientists have uncovered “Quipu,” the largest known galactic structure, stretching 1.4 billion light-years. This discovery reshapes cosmic mapping and affects key measurements of the universe’s expansion.

A team of scientists has identified the largest cosmic superstructure ever reliably measured. The discovery was made while mapping the nearby universe using galaxy clusters detected in the ROSAT X-ray satellite’s sky survey. Spanning approximately 1.4 billion light-years, this structure — primarily composed of dark matter — is the largest known formation in the universe to date. The research was led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and the Max Planck Institute for Physics, in collaboration with colleagues from Spain and South Africa.

A Vastly Structured Universe

Skyhooks, Rotovators & Space Ladders: Lifting Humanity To The Stars Without Rockets

Discover the groundbreaking physics behind skyhooks, rotovators, and space ladders, and how they could revolutionize space travel in the near future.

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Episode 488b; March 2, 2025
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Graphics: Jarred Eagley, Katie Byrne, Phil Swan, Sergio Botero.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
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